When your mind's made up
by DorkDamsel
Summary: Aya wants to show Razer around Oa, but it's gonna take some convincing. Razaya all the way, with lots of cameos from the Green Lantern universe.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I have no idea what I'm doing or where this is going, i just know I love this ship and wanted to do a fic about it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters and if I doubt anybody ever made money from fanfiction. **

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Razer stepped into the shower and turned up the hot water. No not hot, scalding hot. Just the way he liked it. That burning sensation across his skin that helped him focus, forget everything for a short period of time. As he let the boiling hot water rush over his body, he noticed the liquid temperature was actually dropping steadily, till it reached a lukewarm comfortable caloric content. But he didn't want comfortable so he turned up the touchscreen fawcett again.

And again the water turned cooler. He let out a confused grunt and stretched his hand to turn up the heat again.

"That is not the optimal temperature for the hygienic activities" a familiar voice chirped and Razer jumped.

The shower cabin was surrounded by an opaque light curtain that covered everything for reason of modesty. He peered through the light rays and sure enough, saw Aya standing there, their noses almost touching. Razer glared at her.

"What did I tell you about personal space, robot?" he asked through gritted teeth.

A click was heard out of Aya's voicebox and then a perfect recording of Razer's voice from a past incident was broadcast: "GET OUT OF MY QUARTERS YOU INFERNAL AUTOMATON!".

"Though I fail to see the relevance of that statement since we are not presently in your quarters" Aya said, and he could almost detect the smugness in her tone.

"Yes, well... The principle of the thing still applies, so please, take your leave" he said getting back to the activity of washing.

"I wish to converse with you" Aya demanded.

"Not now. I'd like to be a little more relaxed and a little less naked if I have to deal with you."

"When you are done then, but Razer..."

"Yes..." he offered frustrated.

"Since you have been onboard, you have been in sleep stasis for 176 hours, have taken 67 showers, consumed nourishment 113 times and relieved yourself 89 times"

Razer was happy his back was to Aya and there was an opaque light curtain between them, because he didn't want the artificial being to see his look of utter embarrassment and what he assumed was deep red spreading across his otherwise perfectly pale cheeks. Both pairs probably.

"Just wanted to note... your state of undress is nothing I haven't seen before" Aya concluded and walked out of the bath.

Razer realised he was covering himself instinctively and looking around the shower cabin a bit more insecure than before Aya dumped that little bit of information on him.

…

All washed up, and dried and back in his regular Red Lantern uniform, Razer stepped on to the command deck where Aya was waiting for him.

"What do you want?" he asked brusquely.

"We have arrived on Oa exactly 75 standard galactic hours ago"

"Yes... I don't need you to tell me that. What about it?"

"Since that time you haven't left the Interceptor... at all"

"Are you kicking me out?", he asked incredulously.

"Negative. But in order to prevent neural atrophy, you should engage in activities that stimulate you mentally and physically. 'Live a little', as Green Lantern Hal Jordan would say".

"I can do that here. There are still repairs to be done" he said and crossed his arms over his chest.

"And I'm sure you are more adequate to provide repairs than the people that actually designed and built this unit" she remarked.

"I don't want to go outside. I don't want to engage. I just want to be left ALONE!" he barked and felt his anger rising.

"If I'm keeping you or your precious ship body from anything, fine! I'll just leave Oa alltogether", he whirled around and was preparing to take off but Aya grabbed his ring hand.

"Apologies, that's not what I meant", she quickly blurted out.

Razer felt the tension leave his body at the sound of her pleading. He came back down from his hovering position but Aya was still holding his hand tight.

"Please don't leave. Your actions directly contributed to Oa's salvation... not to mention my own. I realise it must be difficult for you to adapt to the Oan landscape and interact with other Green Lanterns, since..."

"Since I'm still wearing Red", he interrupted looking down at their clasped hands, specifically at his ring that still hadn't seen fit to leave him. Even after Atrocitus was defeated, even after... the Star Sapphire... incident... his hate and rage still hadn't left him. But who was it directed at now?

"Yes", Aya replied following his gaze and then looking back up at his face. "But that's all the more reason you shouldn't isolate yourself. Please, let me give you a guided tour of Oa. And if your serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitters are not innervated, I promise I will never bother you again"

"If my what and what do what?"

"If you don't like it."

"Oh"

There were no words in his vocabulary for how little he cared about actually seeing Oa. He barely tolerated two Green Lanterns, seeing and hearing and being subjected to hundreds of them and their incessant prattle was more than he would be able to withstand without going nuclear. And even though Oa was literally the center of the universe, the Guardians were still the people that were responsible for the destruction of an entire sector. So he wasn't about to act like a tourist in respect to their achievements.

But she was looking at him with those blue eyes of hers and he was actually tempted. If for nothing else than to please her, especially since he almost lost his temper just then. But that little nagging voice inside his head told him that surely she could be doing better things with her time than show him the sights.

"Look Aya, I appreciate it but..."

"The analysis of your facial features and pupil dilation seem to indicate you are going to refuse", she interrupted.

"Uhm, yeah... but"

"Right, I will initiate the 'hard way'".

"What is the hard wa... HEY!"

Quick as a flash she swiped his ring from his finger and launched herself off the floor.

"If you wish to retrieve your power ring... you will have to take it from me", she chirped and then flew out of the ship.

Razer was left there stunned in his civilian clothes. He then figured he could always fly after her in the ship. When he turned to the control panels the ship spoke up

"Don't even attempt it", Aya's voice rang through the space inside the command deck.

He cursed under his breath and gave chase.

* * *

_TBC_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Something I forgot to mention. English is NOT my first language so if anything sounds or reads weird, I apologize.**

It wasn't long till Razer was almost out of breath chasing after the light of Aya's propulsors that were strangely mocking him as he was running after her. He hated that crimson ring and yet he never realised how much he relied on it for mobility until that very moment. Flight would sure come in handy now, he was thinking to himself. Or something along those lines...

"Thank the Stars nobody can see me", he was actually thinking to himself.

"That's because everybody on Oa already has a ring and they'd have to be mad to get around by walking when they have a perfectly fine flight ring on their fin"

Razer's thought was stopped when, surprinsingly, he did crash into somebody just walking around, minding their own business. And given how hard he hit himself on this other individual and how humongous their feet were, it could only be one person...

"Where's the fire poozer?", Kilowog's gruff voice sounded off. "Hey Jordan, look who decided to show his pretty mug!"

"Razer, as I live and breathe", the human Hal Jordan drawled. "You stayed in the Interceptor cooped up for so long, you started to remind me of somebody I know back on Earth. Wears a lot of black, likes to glare at people, is strangely inspired by flying rodents. And I suspect he shares your affinity for guy-liner."

"Spare me the details of your status as a social butterfly, Jordan. I get it. You make friends wherever you go", Razer spat as he was picking himself up from the ground and dusting himself off.

"Hihi... he called you butterfly. Good one, kid", Killowog giggled and pat Razer on the back. And by "pat", I mean he almost knocked him over again.

"Where you off to in such a hurry?", Jordan asked ignoring Killowog. "Did the Guardians finally get around to contacting you?"

"I was following Aya, she stole m... Wait, what did you say? The Guardians? What do the Guardians want with me?", Razer asked puzzled.

Hal Jordan and Killowog looked at each other uncomfortably, and the human scratched his head trying to obviously come up with something.

"Well you've been hiding on the Interceptor so long, theeeeey...uh... wanted to know when you can start to pay rent... hehe... yeah, that's it. Isn't that right Killowog?"

Whatever fake-joke or fake-story Jordan was trying to construct, the giant alien was not the best wing-man for it.

"What are you talking about, Jordan? They want to see him about go..."

"That is sufficient socializing for now", Aya's voice was heard from above as she swooped down and grabbed Razer by his shoulders.

Kilowog and Hal Jordan were left alone to follow the lights of Aya's jet propulsors as she carried Razer away.

"What was that about Jordan?" Kilowog finally asked when Aya and Razer were out of sight.

"I don't know buddy, and I have a feeling we don't want to know either", Hal said and started walking towards their original destination.

"Why?", Kilowog asked.

"Cause if we know and they don't know yet, it will be pretty awkward. I mean, the only thing more awkward would be if we know before they know and they know that we knew before them and we didn't say anything".

"I don't get it. What do we know?"

"We don't know anything until they know."

"Know WHAT!"

"Kilowog, trust me. It's better that you don't know."

* * *

_TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: No idea where this is going. NONE. I just start writing, and this is what comes out. Also, the characters don't belong to me.**

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"I'm so glad you got me out of the Interceptor so I can smash into Kilowog's behind, which I was already more familiar then I cared to be", Razer grumbled as Aya was carrying him.

"Apologies. I wasn't aware that your spatial awareness would suffer along with your mobility when I deprived you of your power ring. Or were you born that way?", Aya countered.

"Hmpf. Where are you taking me?"

"We are here, in fact".

Aya dropped Razer off in front of a huge skyscraper that stretched up the heavens, far beyond Oa's curtain of clouds.

"What's in there?"

"It's the meeting hall. It's a place of gathering from Green Lanterns, where they receive their mission statemens and participate in briefings"

"So... it's the place where the puppets see their stirngs", Razer mused.

"Let's go. You should get customed to the suroundings"

"Why do I need to get accoust...HEY!", Razer was interrupted by Aya grabbing him by the arm, quite forcefully, and dragging him inside.

"This feels less like a guided tour and more like an enforced trip to the dentist", Razer remarked.

Inside the great hall the green lanterns were buzzing around, either standing in small groups talking amongst themselves or simply making their solitary way back and forth. It didn't really feel like a command center like Razer had seen on his home planet, and it definitely wasn't the same atmosphere as in the case of Atrocitus's Shard. Red Lanters could socialize, but only for brief intervals of 15 to 20 minutes. Any longer than that, somebody would get their teeth knocked out. That's what happens when you mix rage-powered soldiers with smalltalk.

Razer was growing more uncomfortable by the second as he was scanning the faces of the tens of dozens of Green Lanterns, from all the corners of the universe. He never really internalized that he was on Oa until that second, and for all the time he spent with Atrocitus's army, he only had to deal with Green Lanterns one or two at a time maximum. This was more green than he could take.

And he felt like everybody was staring at him... until he realised that he wasn't the one being stared at. It was Aya. His head did a zig-zag between Aya and all the male Green Lanterns ogling her features. The feeling of awkwardness was replaced by something else...

One of the Green Lanterns, a human no less, approached Aya with familiarity. Razer decided immediately that he didn't like this Lantern. His hair had a very annoying shade of orange.

"Hello, gorgeus", he said.

"Greetings, Green Lantern Guy Gardner. I must warn you that you are overestimating the esthetic quality of my physical form"

"You can't overestimate that face", he said placing his hands on the sides of Aya's face. Razer then went beserk, grabbed him by the enormous collar on his undershirt and shoved his face in the floor, which cracked under the pressure.

Actually, he only imagined all that. But if simply imagining it gave him such joy after a surge of anger, actually doing it must be even better. Thankfully, he controlled himself.

"I was wondering if you're gonna keep your promise and let me show you the bar later" Guy continued.

"Unfortunately, Guy Gardner, I do not consume alcoholic drinks so the utility of your establishment would be lost on me. But perhaps me and my friend Razer who _can_ metabolize alcohol could stop by later", Aya explained.

"Oh..." Guy mouthed and finally looked in Razer's direction, which he had been ignoring up until then.

"Yeah, the _'nice'_ Red Lantern" Gardner said and for some reason raised two fingers from each hand and bent them slightly when pronouncing the word nice. Razer saw Hal Jordan use the same gesture from time to time in an ironic fashion.

"Hal Jordan told me about you. Hi, I'm Guy", Gardner presented himself and extended his hand. Razer simply looked at it with a raised eyebrow.

"_'Nice_' to meet you", the Red Lantern said eventually and used the same air quotes that Guy used earlier.

"So Aya is showing you around", Guy remarked, ignoring the gesture."How do you like it?"

"It's an acquired taste"

"It's a good thing you're out of red pijamas, some guys around here might mistake you for a bad guy"

"Unfortunately the lack of apropriate wardrobe was not MY idea", Razer mumbled looking in Aya's direction

"But I can see why in this particular context it might seem more prudent"

"Make sure you keep it off if you're coming to Warriors later"

"Warriors?"

"My bar", Guy said smugly.

"You called your bar 'Warriors'? Hah, humans and their twisted sense of irony..."

Guy squinted his eyes after the last comment.

"Meaning?"

"Well, Green Lanterns are not warriors, are they. _Warriors_ are supposed to fight _wars_, whereas Green Lanterns are, as Jordan likes to boast, a force for peace, and harmony, and love. No wait, that's the Star Saphires. Anyway... Something like... 'Intergalactic Holier than Thou Do-gooders' would be far more apropriate name. But then you probably wouldn't sell as many drinks. But then again maybe the whole point of your establishment is to sell so much alcohol that you Green Lanterns could in fact trick yourself into believing you are _actual_ warriors, and not the manipulated overpowered Guardian puppets that you actually are. In which case, it's a brilliant business model."

Guy kept a straight face throughout Razer's entire speech.

"Aya, hold this for me please" he finally said and took off his power ring. He then proceeded to get right in Razer's face.

"Why don't you and me step outside"

Razer smirked.

"With pleasure"

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**AN: I don't know how familiar people are with Guy Gardner. Hopefully familiar enough to know that he's another human GL and he's a bit of a jackass. :) **


	4. Chapter 4

The doors to one of the side exits of the Meeting Hall burst open as Guy Gardner came out of the huge building in one of it's surrounding alleyways. Razer quickly followed, with Aya hovering behind him.

"Razer, perhaps you should reconsider this course of action", the artificial life form said with concern in her voice.

"Negative. You wanted to show me the sights Aya. And a bruised and bloody Gardner will be quite a sight"

"Probability indicates you will not be the victor in this physical confrontation based on the level of your hand to hand combat ability and Gardner's past documented experiences"

"Aya, remember when Hal Jordan made us watch that construct of an idiotic story from his home planet with the giant monkey and his friend with the vest"

"Yes, Star Wars"

"What did the friend of the monkey tell the droid when he was pestering him with probability reports?"

"Never tell me the ods?"

"Exactly"

Seeing there was no chance of convincing the Red Lantern, Aya caught up with Guy Gardner just as he was taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves.

"Guy Gardner, you are the more experienced combatant. Please realise the futility of this exercise and stand down"

"I may be more experienced but that doesn't mean I have to take crap from this ungrateful punk".

"Ungrateful!" Razer asked incredulously.

"Yeah, ungrateful!" Guy shouted pointing his finger at the younger male.

"Hal saved your sorry behind when he could of left you in space. Or in that prison. Or in that prison for the SECOND time. He saved you, a Green Lantern. And now you come to our house and insult us! Put 'em up Emo-Lantern cause I'm about to whup your ass so hard I'll knock those tattoos right off your face"

"They're not tat... HGHF"

Razer didn't finish his question because Guy came up and hit him square in the jaw pushing him back.

"Welcome to Oa, asshole", Guy spat.

With one knee on the ground and slightly dizzy, Razer wiped the blood from newly broken lip. He propelled himself forward and headed straight into Guy's waist, and somehow managed to immobilize both of the Green Lantern's arms with his left arm, while using the right to punch him in the gut. Guy took a little bit of punishment before deciding a body slam would be the best way to go. He grabbed the back of Razer's head and threw him over, Razer landing on his back with a loud crash.

The alleyway was getting crowded with all the Green Lanterns pouring out of the Meeting Hall to watch the show. Nobody intervened though, as Guy straddled Razer and threw punch after punch. At some point Razer grabbed Guy's balled up fist, propped himself up and headbutted the man with all his force, releasing himself from the hold he'd been in.

Aya was watching everything concerned, until finally, she heard a familiar voice.

"Make room you poozers. What's going on here?" Kilowog asked as he and Hal Jordan came in floating over the crowd watching the fight.

Aya came to hover beside them.

"Hal Jordan. Kilowog. Please, do something to halt this violent display of masculinity"

Hal looked at her, and then back at Razer and Guy kicking their teeth in. Aya. Razer and Guy. Aya. Back and forth. Back and forth. Until his eyes glinted.

"I know what to do!" Hal announced. He touched ground amidst the spectators.

"Okey everybody, bets are now open! I got a two to one on the new kid..."

"JORDAN!" Kilowog barked and landed beside him. "What in the name of Oa are you doing? What happened to 'settle your differences', 'shake hands... it's an Earth custom' and all that crap!"

"That was different. We're not _in space_ anymore, about to meet our fiery _explosiony_ doom at any second. Razer on _this_ planet? He was _bound_ to get in a fight with somebody at some point. Frankly, I'm just glad it's not with somebody I like"

"I appreciate the sentiment, Jordan", Guy tried to say as Razer was pushing his face down into the pavement. "Considering that I'm here... hfff..." Guy elbowed Razer in the ribs and pushed him off.

"Cause I was defending your honor", Guy finished his line before Razer came in for a quick series of punches against his back.

"Honor is nice Guy", Hal said as people were rushing with money from all different parts of the galaxy to place their bets.

"It don't pay the rent though".

Guy and Razer had been at it long enough that they grew too tired and hurt for the fancy stuff like acrobatics and body slams so they resorted to simply throwing punches and kicks, hoping to land a lucky knock-out punch. Razer thought he had it when Guy dropped his shoulder and his guard, but when he lunged, the Green Lantern grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, pushed him down and knee-jabbed him in the chest.

Razer felt something crack and dropped to his knees spitting blood. Hal, Jordan, and about two dozen Green Lanterns that actually had sternums winced in pain. Guy huffed and puffed and finally said:

"It's over kid..."

"It's not over until I say it's over!" Razer shouted, and tried to get up but stumbled.

Aya came to support him.

"Razer, you have a cracked rib. There's a 67% probab... You need medical attention"

"No, I'll be fine. Gardner, get back here!"

Aya insisted and tried to slide her arm under his to pull him up.

"I don't understand why..."

"Of course you don't understand. You're _just_ a robot!" the Red Lantern screamed in frustration.

The second the words were out of his mouth he snapped back to reality and realised that he crossed a line. Aya was still supporting him, their faces were close, and even though her expression didn't change, he realised she was hurt. She remained completely motionless staring at him, like she was processing his words and trying to calculate a course of action. She stepped aside and went next to Guy Gardner to give him his Green Lantern ring back.

She came back and placed Razer's Red Lantern ring on the ground in front of him.

"I apologize for the inconvenience" she said, and Razer had never heard her sound so lifeless.

"This is my fault" she said again looking at the crowd. "I am sorry for causing this disturbance to your daily activities. Please return to your duties prior to this incident."

"No.. Aya..." Razer finally croaked.

"I promised that if you do not enjoy yourself, I will never bother you again. While I don't understand much about social behaviour, I can tell by your vital signs and hormone levels that my actions have had a negative effect on your mental and physical state. I... I will never bother you again. I promise"

Aya threw Razer one last look, and then flew off. He was left in the dirt, feeling like dirt.

"What the hell is your problem, kid?" Gardner shouted to him.

"ME! You're the one who wanted to step outside!" Razer said getting up, wincing in pain.

"Because you're a punk and I don't like you. But she, for some reason that escapes me, does. She's the only one that actually wants you here. And you were a jerk to her."

Razer clenched his jaw and remained silent, cursing himself.

"I'm a Red Lantern trapped on a planet filled with Green Lanterns. That's my problem", he finally said.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Razer?" Hal said picking up the red ring.

"You weren't wearing this when you broke her heart"

"She doesn't..."

"Don't you _dare_" Hal threatened getting in Razer's face"

"Don't you dare say she doesn't have a heart or she doesn't have feelings or she doesn't care when you know that she does... _You know that better than any of us_."

The last words Hal said were whispered so that only Razer could hear them. The human held the red ring up and Razer looked miserably at the it. He avoided Hal's eyes when he grabbed it and put it on, and then launched himself into the air.

"Shouldn't we go after him?" Kilowog asked.

"Who knows what trouble he'll start next" Guy added.

"That, gentlemen, is not a man who's looking to start any more trouble believe me. That is a guy who just put his foot in his mouth and now needs some time to figure out how to make it right"

"Hey, I've been that guy. Pun intended", Gardner joked.

"I know buddy, I know" Hal said and slapped Gardner on his right shoulder.

"Ow!" the ginger Lantern yelped in pain.

"You did that on purpose!"

Razer flew and flew like he was trying to out-fly his own dark thoughts but he couldn't. He finally landed on the tallest spire he could find and saw the entirety of Oa stretch out in front of him. It really was beautiful he had to admit. Just like Aya. Beautiful and bright and serene. Everything that he wasn't. Everything tha...

"Hey buddy!" Razer was startled from his brooding by the voice coming from behind him.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to paint here..."

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**AN: Next chapter, girl advice from probably the WORST Green Lantern you could get girl advice from. But he just so happens to be my favourite all time superhero so it will be a pleasure to write him.**


	5. Chapter 5

He landed right in front of a another Green Lantern, sitting on the spire's platfom, holding a huge paper pad and brushes and paints. He was seated on a construct of some kind of giant fluffy puffed-up chair. Beside him was a construct of a coffee table with a green mask on it quite different from the one Hal used to wear. His face was covered with paint blotches. But there was no mistaking the physiognomy of that face.

"Oh for the love of Shard" Razer screeched and threw his hands up in the air in frustration.

"Another human Green Lantern! What, was there some kind of sale!"

"Excuse me?", the human got up and walked next to Razer. The Red Lantern took a step back and clenched his fists.

The human took notice but just extended his hand.

"Hi, I'm Kyle"

Razer looked him up and down with suspicion.

"Oh, sorry!" Kyle rubbed his hand on his uniform to wipe away the paint and then re-extended it.

Razer ignored Guy's extended hand earlier, but given how well that encounter turned out he decided this time he would at least act more amiable.

"Razer" he said shaking the humans hand.

"Razer... the Red Lantern Hal brought back from the Forgotten Zone?"

"Nobody _brought_ me here. I came here" Razer snapped.

"Okey, okey. Take it easy. Sheesh... are all Red Lanterns so high-strung?" Kyle said and went back to his brushes and sketches.

"How many of you human lanterns are there?" Razer asked.

"Uhm, four... Well five if you count Alan" Kyle answered absentmindedly while looking through his artwork.

"Five Green Lanterns? For _one_ sector? Your Earth must be the center of intergalactic evil"

"Actually, it's pretty tame compared to other places. I mean, we don't even have space ships or anything"

"But you do have a lot of Green Lanterns"

"Honestly, it's complicated", Kyle said sitting back down. "What about you? Where do you come from?"

"It doesn't matter" Razer answered and turned his back to look at the view again. "My home was destroyed"

"I know somebody like that. His home planet was destroyed, last one of his kind, wound up on Earth with more abilities than I have socks"

"What happened to him?" Razer said turning around.

"What do you think happened to him?"

"He tried to conquer your planet and you had to put him down like the rabid dog he was?"

"Actually, he became Earth's greatest champion"

"Humpf" Razer puffed and turned his back again. "Typical" he grumbled.

"Razer?"

"What?"

Kyle raised a hand and made a nudging motion signaling Razer to step to the side because he was still blocking his view.

"What are you doing wasting your time painting?" Razer asked coming next to him. He sneaked a look at the sketch and had to admit that the human was pretty good. The image managed to capture the beauty of the scenery but somehow was completely different.

"Well I'm not a Green Lantern that paints. I'm an artist that happens to be a Green Lantern. As such, I don't feel like I'm wasting my time at all"

"Do you have a bar called 'Artists'?" Razer asked sardonically.

Kyle smirked.

"I see you've met Guy"

"Oh yes. I've met Guy and my face managed to meet his fists"

"Yeah, about that..." Kyle said looking up. Razer's face was covered with bruises, he'd obviously been in a pretty hardcore fight.

"Here"

The human used his ring to construct a strange type of chair. He signaled Razer to sit down.

"What's that?" Razer asked.

"It's one of Earth's greatest inventions. The massage chair. Go on... sit down, it's not gonna bite"

Razer looked at it warily. But the human so far proved himself pretty harmless. And unlike Guy, Razer was sure he could take him in a fight. Not just take him, but wipe the floor with him. For pity's sake, he was an "artist who happened to be a Green Lantern". Surely he'd run screaming like a little girl in the face of Razer's rage.

So Razer sat down.

"What's this supposed to... oh..."

The chair stated vibrating and applying pressure on his weary bones and muscles. It was the good kind of pressure, soothing and pleasant, washing away the pain from his body. Razer leaned into it and in spite of himself started to relax.

Kyle rolled his eyes and thought to himself: "Finally, he's shutting up". He resumed his painting and they both sat in silence for a while.

"Aya needs to install a couple of these on the Interceptor" Razer muttered at some point.

"Aya, that's the ship's nav-com, right? I only met her once. She seems nice"

"Nice... she's more than that" Razer whispered staring into the distance.

Kyle turned around and mouth the word "ooh-kay" kinda seeing where this was going.

"You were there when she was sorta born right?"

Razer frowned because he didn't quite understand what the human meant. When was Aya born? When the Interceptor was built? When she first took the form of Ilana in his dreams? When she assembled her physical form for the first time?

"You and Hal and Kilowog, you were all there..." Kyle specified.

"Yes" Razer thought it prudent to answer.

"I understand you must feel very protective of her"

"Yes" That was easy enough to confirm.

"You must care about her, almost like a father..."

At this point Razer remained silent and wondered if his feelings of guilt were showing on his face. He did not think of Aya as a daughter. Or a sister. Or a cousin. Or even a cousin twice removed. Kyle was not even looking at him so he couldn't notice the guilt, he was still painting.

Razer squinted his eyes and asked:

"Just what are you insinuating?"

"I'm not insinuating anything. I'm asking a question."

"And what answer are you expecting?"

"What answer can you give me?

"It's none of your business"

"And yet _here_ you are"

"What? What is _here_?"

"It's the place with the best view on Oa. Which makes it perfect for three things: painting, bringing a girl and thinking about a girl... or a guy I guess if you swing that way"

"I didn't come here to think about a girl, least of all Aya" Razer said annoyed and got up and walked to the edge of the platform.

"Fine" Kyle said calmly and went back to retouching his painting.

Razer sat steaming for a little bit, arms crossed and tapping his foot.

"I suppose you think it's my fault", he grumbled.

"In order to respond to that I'm going to need to know what you are talking about"

Razer remained silent but even though he only just met this person, he was dying inside. He wanted exoneration, he wanted to know that it's alright, that he didn't completely destroy his friendship with Aya.

"I.. might've said something to Aya, that was hurtful" he admitted in shame.

"People say hurtful things all the time. It's called being angry. You should know a little something about that"

"No, this was _really_ hurtful"

"What did you say? Did you call her _fat_?" Kyle joked.

"I called her a 'robot'."

"_And_... isn't she a robot?"

"She's much more than that" Razer said passionately "She's brave, resourceful, graceful, kind, inquisitive and she's a warrior. She saved my life more times than I can count. If it wasn't for her I'd still be rotting in some prison in the forgotten zone"

"Okey, sounds like she might like you too. She'll get over it"

Razer blinked a couple of times, because the human's words caused a shock to his reasoning abilities.

"'Like'... 'too'?" he mumbled in confusion.

"You like her, she likes you. You said something stupid like most guys your...age... I guess"

"No, no... Wait, go back... 'likes'?"

"Yeah dude. _Like_. Not the facebook kind, the boy meets girl kind. Sure, you have that whole organic/robotic thing to deal with, but I come from planet Earth. I've seen way weirder stuff. I mean if Coco and Ice T can make it work, anybody can"

Razer simply stared.

"I did not understand a single word you just said"

Kyle sighed and came up to Razer and placed both of his hands on the other Lantern's shoulder. He spoke evenly and determined, like a professor.

"Go back. Say you're sorry. All will be forgiven"

"It's not that simple" Razer said and shook off Kyle's hands from his shoulders. He turned around and crossed his arms."Everybody saw. Everybody heard. Everybody knows"

"Knows what exactly?"

"That the only thing I'm good at is hurting people" Razer admitted in his most honest and brooding tone.

"That's just the ring talking"

"I wasn't wearing the ring when I said it. Though as undignified as this sounds, I do wish I had been wearing it. Sometimes it's reassuring. To blame your darkest urges on a piece of jewelry"

"And other times?"

"You're asking what it's like to be a Red Lantern?"

"I guess"

Razer raised his fist to look at his ring, unsure how to answer the human.

"It's... it's difficult to explain. I can barely remember a time when I didn't have it. Except for the moment when it found me, and ironically, it's the one thing before my time as a Red Lantern that I desperately want to forget".

Razer looked back at the human and his painting utensils and finally had an idea.

"You're a painter. You see things in a certain way, you see beauty where others don't"

"I guess you could say that"

"Being a Red Lantern is like that. Only instead of beauty you see ugliness, you see everything that is wrong with the world and others choose to ignore. But you can't ignore it, you have to rebel against it, you have to destroy it. As if your life depended on it."

"But how can you tell wrong from right?"

Razer sighed and in two simple words laid out the simple truth about Red Lanterns.

"You can't"

He bowed his head and felt ashamed he confessed that weakness.

"Of course I will never admit this to Jordan, but being on the Interceptor, I always envied him for knowing exactly what to do when to do it. I admired him. But it also made me frustrated that I could not have the same clarity of vision. And that feeling increased exponentially since i've been on this planet. And I took out my frustrations on Aya, and Guy Gardner.. though I will not apologize about the latter"

"If you're done with your little pity party..."

"Pity party!"

"You heard me Sourpuss Lantern. You know how long it took me to get used to the idea that I'm a freakin superhero? I still don't believe it to be perfectly honest. I wasn't even supposed to get this ring, I was never chosen. Not like Guy or Hal were. Don't even get me started on the screw-ups that I made. The people that... I lost. I could write a book about regrets, guilt and inferiority complexes. You don't get the luxury of being the only one who is confused. None of these rings come with an instruction manual, and even if they did, it would still be you calling the shots. And that means sometimes... making the wrong call"

"I didn't know that... Green Lanterns were allowed to have doubts"

"We're not allowed, but it is understandable. You made some wrong calls, but you made a couple of good ones too. And while Hal may be a worthy role model, he is by no means perfect. Especially when it comes to the ladies. And as such I am sure that he, and whoever else was in attendance when you opened your big fat mouth and let crap fall out of it would understand if you were to apologize to somebody who apparently really believed in you. And _none_ of them would think any less of you"

Kyle finished his speech and a licker of hope lit up inside Razer. He couldn't believe that a Green Lantern was actually making him feel better about himself.

"You are not a warrior, Kyle Rayner. And yet... it might be the very thing that sets you above the other Lanterns I have met so far"

"Dude, I could've went with the 'apologize or I'll kick your ass" route, but I figured I'd give diplomacy a try"

Razer started laughing uncontrollably.

"_You_... kick _my _ass! The only reason I confided in you is because I deemed you harmless."

Kyle raised an eyebrow and pressed his lips together in the truest expression of "oh really?" he could splatter across his face. He raised his ring-hand and snapped his fingers.

"Is that supposed to scare me?"

"No. That is" Kyle said and signaled Razer to turn around.

And when he did, the Red Lantern flinched in fear. An entire army of the strangest, most intricate constructs he had ever seen was spread out in front of him. Barbarians, and robots, and warrior-women, and... what was a giant squid doing there! The level of detail on the constructs was incredible, it was certainly more complex than anything he had ever seen from Hal Jordan, Kilowog or himself. Now he understood the true meaning behind "an artist who happens to be a Green lantern". His imagination had no bounds, but still the will power he needed to hold these constructs together...

He looked back at Rayner who was now smirking in his most arrogant way.

"These are your new friends", the human said.

"Excuse me?"

"They will be your escort until you do what is right"

"That will not be necessary"

"Oh I think it is. But maybe not so extreme. Here, you get one new friend"

The army was reduced to a single construct of an overweight human infant, with a bow and arrows and wings that flapped incessantly.

"What is _that_!"

"That is my friend Cupid. And he's gonna follow you around till you find Aya and apologize to her"

"That is absu... OW"

The little human construct shot him with an energy arrow. Razer threw it a vicious look and had all the intention to blast it.

"Ever since I left the Interceptor this morning, it's been one humiliation after another", Razer grumbled.

"Maybe you need a little humiliation. To make you understand you're no better or worse than the rest of us"

The Red Lantern nodded, remembering the words they had exchanged earlier. For all his faults, this Green Lantern had tried to help out a stranger. And that is exactly what Razer wanted, somebody to tell him he didn't screw everything up.

"Thank you Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner", he said launching himself off the platform. "Our talk has been most illuminating"

"Don't mention it. Follow him, keep him on the straight path" Rayner ordered the Cupid construct.

The winged-human came to hover next to Razer who threw it an exasperated look.

"Let's go demon. And just so you know... _you_ are definitely _fat_".

* * *

**AN: I apologize for the delay but 1. I've been very busy and 2. I just wanted to get the tone of this just right. Because I love Kyle Rayner but also because I think it's pretty unrealistic that two dudes who just met would start talking about their self-esteem issues and such. But I hope the idea of Kyle and Razer having an epic bromance would make people more willing to forgive this OOC moment.**


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